OTTAWA — Opposition politicians continued Friday to call on the RCMP to investigate improper spending by three senators, but no one appeared ready to officially ask the Mounties to launch an investigation, instead leaving it to the force to make up its own mind.

Rather, the MPs from the two parties represented in the Senate blamed the other for a delay in bringing in new spending rules for the upper chamber that would kill the “honour system” senators have filed claims under for years.

“There’s obviously something very wrong going on here. The police should be looking into this,” said Nick Bergamini, research director for the Canadian Taxpayers Federation.

“This is far worse than a $16 glass of orange juice,” he said, referring to the notorious expense former cabinet minister Bev Oda charged to taxpayers on a 2011 trip to London.

“Come on, guys. You’ve got to make this complaint,” said NDP MP Megan Leslie. “We need to know really what happened. You need to have an RCMP investigation. I’m optimistic that they’ll respond to the feeling of the public.”

Leslie said the NDP — who have no senators and advocate for the Senate’s abolishment — were still considering whether they would file a complaint with the RCMP.

The Mounties can begin a criminal investigation on their own volition, but a spokesman would not confirm whether the RCMP had reviewed the Senate spending audits. Even if the force had started its own review, the RCMP traditionally doesn’t acknowledge doing so unless criminal charges are laid.

“There has to be some kind of recourse,” said Liberal MP Rodger Cuzner. “Let’s hope that the RCMP do something.”

On Thursday, a Senate committee concluded the three senators had filed improper travel and housing expense claims, but closed the case on Duffy after he repaid more than $90,000 in late March.

The auditors said the spending rules didn’t provide a clear definition of primary residence, meaning there was no way to say whether any of the three senators had actually broken Senate rules. The committee disagreed and recommended Harb and Brazeau repay about $100,000 combined or the upper chamber would find ways to seize the funds.

Under Senate rules, senators can have their annual salaries of $135,200 garnished in order to repay owed funds.

The Senate’s powerful internal economy committee also tabled 11 rule changes that have upset some in the Liberal Senate caucus, including eliminating almost all international travel and limit the amount of cross-country flights that can be charged to taxpayers. It would also eliminate the “honour system” and require more documentation for expense claims, similar to the House of Commons.

“The system that we use on the Commons side, it’s not cumbersome, it makes sense,” Cuzner said. “It’s one that keeps our expenses in check and you know, if (senators) were to look at that system, I don’t think they would be offended by anything.”

“It takes time to get those rules in place. Our Conservative senators took action right away to make changes. Unfortunately, it appears the Liberal senators are blocking those tough rules from coming into place,” said Conservative House leader Peter Van Loan.

The taxpayers federation renewed calls for both houses of Parliament to enact strict punishments for anyone convicted of cheating taxpayers while in office by stripping offended politicians of their right to a pension. The Canadian Taxpayers Federation has dubbed the proposal the “Lavigne Rule,” named after former senator Raymond Lavigne who kept his pension despite a fraud conviction and his subsequent resignation from the Senate.